By Moe

• Moe's Tavern Shopper 2001
  
• Behind the Championship
  
• DRUGS MONEY FAME DONUTS CELEBRITY SEX DEATH BEER
  
• "After we won the championship, everyone wanted a piece of us"

They had achieved a goal few thought possible. But it was unraveling as quickly as it had happened.

(Shot of Zivan's car conking out; Sean the Ref trooping to the bar anyway.)

It was a dream that had been deferred many times.

(Shot of dominating teams losing every playoff game)

The good times (shot of Augenblick) had turned bad (shot of Racist Redhead Ref guy).

But the team persevered - they had a dream.

Cate Nolan: "Ever since I saw someone wearing a championship T-shirt, I knew I wanted to be a champion too."

Next: The rise and fall of a champion. The same forces that led to a creative high were the same forces that sowed the seeds of destruction. Moe: "Is Homer drinking at another bar? 'Cause I really couldn't take that."

Meanwhile, the infighting had started. Each player was given a week with the championship Cup, but once Mike passed it off to Crash, we never saw it again - until those photos starting showing up of the Cup on a beach in Hawaii, outside the Coliseum in Rome, at a club in Iceland. Then it was blown to bits in a market in Jerusalem.

Moe turned to beer and Bruce Springsteen, sinking into a malaise punctuated by Hostess apple pies and Big Tony's ribs. Cate turned inward, preferring to spend her time with a guy who knew little of her hockey accomplishments - the only guy she could trust wasn't after her because of her fame and riches. Dizzy blew his wad on poetry and first-edition classics; he began mumbling about ravens and if he was a tree what kind of tree he'd be and sticking up gas stations to support his tequila habit. Lisa was arrested for threatening the president-elect during a midnight ride and was drawn into an obsessive phone sex relationship with Ralph Nader. Her expansive phone bills forced her to file for bankruptcy - the judge let her keep her stash of Wild Turkey. Woodsy returned to the woods to continue writing his manifesto; no letter bombs were traced to him, but suspicions among the team grew. Sean the Ref let the good times roll - but they rolled too much and he was forced to start reffing elementary school dodge ball tournaments. Only Mike and Natasha seemed to remain an even keel - until Natasha received a high-level diplomatic appointment as George W. Bush reaches out and finally finds someone to put in his administration who didn't used to work for his daddy. She lasted half a day before giving Georgie a swift elbow in the ribs. Mike, meanwhile, visited the big hockey stick in Eveleth and got his tongue stuck on the giant puck.

The dream was over.

Next: Moe's Tavern climbs the mountain only to tumble deep into the valley. Clean and sober, they reunite and try to find the magic they had lost.

Er, I mean, dirty and drunk, they bicker and fight their way to another championship. This time, Marty really will buy the beer.

The Windy City Fieldhouse league only goes into operation if and when the Lincoln Park High School league fills up, so we have no choice but to sign up for Lincoln Park. This returns us to a 5-on-5 instead of 6-on-6 league. The league is expecting a large turnout; game times will be between 1 p.m. and 10 p.m. Sundays.

The Beaumont returns to action as the post-game bar of choice. Once again, Marty will be just a cowboy, with his young boy ways.

The cost will be $57.09 a person, although the league still owes us a one-game discount. I'm planning to register this week to qualify for the early registration discount, so by the end of the week I'll have an official cost.

This is the roster I'm submitting, and the information I still need. I'm assuming all of you are playing, let me know if I'm wrong.

Cate - address
Michelle - phone
Lisa
Natasha
Meredith - address, phone

Moe
Marty - address
Mike
Crash - address, phone
Woodsy - any obtainable information
Zivan
Sean the Ref

"It's floor hockey, Ray. It's the one thing that has united us all these years. It teaches us how good things were, and how good they can be again. Oh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come."